Board, house of delegates meet in conjunction with annual
meetingIn conjunction with the OSB Annual Meeting, the Board of
Governors met Oct. 13-14 in Portland, followed by a meeting of the House
of Delegates on Oct. 16. Here are summaries of those meetings:

Significant actions by the Board of Governors included
the following:

Heard a report on the operations and policies of the
Board of Bar Examiners and the Admissions Department.

Approved further planning to establish a regular BOG
liaison with public lawyers.

Approved funds to establish a two-year pilot program
for web conferencing for boards and committees, enabling
lawyers to participate from remote locations.

Presented the bar’s legislative agenda for 2005 before
the legislature’s Joint Interim Judiciary Committee, after
which the board hosted a luncheon for the committee members.

Adopted new bylaw 18.6, which applies to all lawyers
appointed to all local professional responsibility committees,
the State Professional Responsibility Board, the Disciplinary
Board (including trial panels), and the Board of Governors.
Bylaw 18.6 essentially provides that any member of any
of these committees, boards and panels who has a pending
discipline case, where prosecution has been authorized
by the SPRB, shall be temporarily suspended from service
on that committee, board or panel until the formal complaint
is resolved by settlement or final decision.

The board also heard a report from PLF executive director
Ira Zarov, and:

Approved changes to the Primary Claims Made Plan, including
clarifying "same or related claims" language
and increasing the expense allowance in the plan from $25,000
to $50,000.

Approved the PLF proposed budget for 2005 which includes
an assessment increase of $400.

Approved housekeeping changes to the PLF policy manual
as it relates to Personal and Practice Management Assistance.

The House of Delegates took the following actions:

Heard a report from Budget and Finance Committee Chair
Frank Hilton concerning the financial status of the bar,
and the fact that there will be no fee increase for 2005.

Approved an amended proposal to submit to the membership
for an advisory vote only, a plan that, if approved, would
raise bar fees by $70 per year in order to make the bar’s
entire CLE library available to all members on-line. The
proposal would be limited to a five-year period (in other
words, would sunset unless reapproved). When the membership
has voted, the matter will return to the House of Delegates
for a final decision.

Rejected a resolution to provide a discount for certain
attendees at House of Delegates meetings.

Adopted an amended resolution to support adequate funding
for Public Defense Services.

Approved a memoriam resolution honoring bar members who
have died since the last House of Delegates meeting.

Approved a resolution adopting the proposed Oregon Rules
of Professional Conduct.

Three elected to Board of GovernorsThree persons were elected as lawyermembers of the OSB
Board of Governors in a ballot conducted this fall.

OCDLA to honor two Bend lawyersBend attorneys Duane J. McCabe and Ralph H. Smith, Jr.,
will receive the Ken Morrow Memorial Award by the Oregon Criminal Defense
Lawyers Association at a special dinner and benefit auction on Dec. 3
at the Benson Hotel in Portland. The event is open to the public and
tickets are $50, available by calling OCDLA at (541) 686-8716. The Ken
Morrow Memorial Award was created in 2000 to recognize the life-long
commitment and significant achievements of attorneys within the defense
community. For more information, contact John Potter at (541) 686-8716.

Just in time...the OSB history book!The newly published OSB history book, Serving Justice:
A History of the Oregon State Bar, 1890-2000, is available for
purchase. Did we mention gift idea?

The 370-page book is fully illustrated and thoroughly chronicles
the history of the Oregon bar, from its start as a voluntary organization
in the late 19th century to the modern full-service organization it is
today. Numerous sidebar articles are featured.

The book was released during the recent OSB Annual Meeting
in Portland.

Order by visiting the OSB website, www.osbar.org, or by
calling the OSB Order Desk at (503) 684-7413, or toll-free in Oregon
at (800) 452-8260, ext. 413. Cost is $35 for soft-cover, $50 for hard-cover.
A sample chapter is available online.

Notice of reinstatement applicationsThe following individuals have filed applications for reinstatement
as active members of the Oregon State Bar pursuant to Rule of Procedure
(BR) 8.1:

Jennifer R. Bisset of Hood River, OSB #86119, was
admitted to the Oregon State Bar on May 21, 1996. She transferred to
inactive status in 1999 to work for a private Internet company. She now
is self-employed providing legal research, mediation and criminal investigation
services. Upon reinstatement, Bisset will continue in this employment,
as well as providing contract legal services for a Hood River law firm.

Mary R. Giannini of Spokane, OSB #86119, was admitted
to the Oregon State Bar on May 5, 1986. On Jan. 28, 1991, she transferred
to inactive membership status. Giannini was admitted to practice in Washington
in 1988, where she has been with a Spokane law firm since 1989. She will
continue in this position upon reinstatement, occasionally representing
clients with offices in Oregon.

The Rules of Procedure require the Board of Governors to
conduct an investigation of BR 8.1 reinstatement applications to determine
whether applicants possess the good moral character and general fitness
to practice law and that the resumption of the practice of law in this
state by applicants will not be detrimental to the administration of
justice or the public interest. Any person with information relevant
to this inquiry is asked to contact promptly the OSB Regulatory Services
Division, P.O. Box 1689, Lake Oswego, OR 97035; phone: (503) 620-0222,
or toll-free in Oregon at (800) 452-8260, ext. 343.

A public opinion poll released Aug. 9 by the ABA reveals
a strong belief and trust in the American jury system and
debunks the notion that Americans think jury duty is a burden
to be avoided.

The Oregon State Bar is currently recruiting
for candidates for the OSB and ABA House of Delegates. There
is one opening for the ABA House of Delegates and several
openings in most regions for the OSB House of Delegates.
The OSB House of Delegates generally holds one meeting during
the year, however a special meeting may also be called.
The ABA terms are for two years and the OSB’s are for three
years. Openings include:

Region 1: 2

Region 2: 4

Region 3: 6

Region 4: 3

Region 5: 18

Region 6: 11

Out-of-state: 12

The number of delegates is subject to change
due to admission of new members, status changes and relocation
of offices. In accordance with OSB Bylaw 3.2, the final
determination will be made on Feb. 1, 2005.

The types of matters historically presented
to the House of Delegates have included: 1) disciplinary
rule changes; 2) bar positions on major legislative and
policy issues; and 3) member resolutions on a variety of
topics.

The deadline for filing nominating petitions
and candidate statements is March 18, 2005 and ballots are
due at the bar office on April 15, 2005. The election offers
members two ways to vote: members with an e-mail address
registered with the bar will receive an e-mail with a link
to an electronic ballot; and those without an e-mail address
will receive a paper ballot.

For more information and to print copies of
the candidates’ statements and nominating petitions, go
to www.osbar.org and select "Forms Library," or
contact Jane Gillespie at (503) 620-0222 or toll-free in
Oregon at (800) 452-8260, ext. 308.

St. Andrew clinic celebrates 25 years of ‘Bridging
the Gap’

On Thursday, Sept. 30, hundreds of past and
present volunteers, supporters and staff gathered in downtown
Portland to celebrate St. Andrew Legal Clinic’s 25th anniversary.
Since its inception, St. Andrew Legal Clinic (SALC) has
provided legal services to low income people in Portland
to over 30,000 individuals and families. All legal representation
is provided in the area of family law, and most cases are
extremely complex magnified by even bigger issues like drug
use, domestic violence and/or child abuse.

St. Andrew Legal Clinic was originally founded
in 1979 by two attorneys who were members of St. Andrew
Catholic Church, Judge Keith Raines and Tom Caruso. They
saw a huge unmet need for the working poor population who
simply could not afford the costs of hiring private attorneys.
Their solution was to form a low cost legal clinic, located
across the street from the church in Northeast Portland,
where it still lies today. SALC has grown dramatically since
its inception with two additional branch offices operating
in Washington and Clackamas counties, a total of 13 full-time
staff attorneys and hundreds of volunteer attorneys. The
three clinics combined serve more than 2,000 individuals
and families each year.

There are an estimated 250,000 people each
year in Oregon who fall into "the gap" that SALC
helps to bridge. When families are threatened by lack of
access to the courts, the effects are far-reaching, not
only to the family involved but also to the larger community,
resulting in additional work for police departments, social
service agencies and the court system as the number of unrepresented
litigants increases. Because of SALC, children are growing
up in safer environments and families have increased financial
security, stay off of welfare and become more productive
members of our society.